SEAMING SHAFT DEVICE FOR A SEALER

Abstract

A gassing device for gassing a container includes a rotatable gassing rotor with a container receptacle for receiving the container and a feeding area for feeding a gas via a feed opening. The container receptacle includes a gassing nozzle flow-connected to the feed opening via a channel for gassing the container, and a stationary gas supply with a stationary supply opening arranged on the feeding area such that the supply opening can be flow-connected to the feed opening. The gassing rotor can be supplied with the gas from the gas supply in the operating state by moving the feed opening to the stationary supply opening by rotating the gassing rotor. The feeding area is connected without contact to the gas supply in the form of a labyrinth seal, so that the gassing rotor is rotatable relative to the gas supply in the operating state.

Claims

1. A gassing device for gassing a container, comprising: a rotatable gassing rotor with a container receptacle configured to receive the container and with a feeding area configured to feed a gas via a feed opening into the gassing rotor, the container receptacle comprising a gassing nozzle flow-connected to the feed opening of the feeding area via a channel to gas the container; and a stationary gas supply with a stationary supply opening arranged on the feeding area such that the supply opening is capable of being flow-connected to the feed opening, the gassing rotor configured to be supplied with the gas from the gas supply in a operating state by moving the feed opening to the stationary supply opening by rotating the gassing rotor, the feed opening flow-connected to the supply opening, the feeding area connected without contact to the gas supply by a labyrinth seal, so that the gassing rotor is rotatable relative to the gas supply in the operating state.

2. The gassing device according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply comprises a groove and the feeding area comprises a web arranged in the groove, the web and the groove connected without contact to form the labyrinth seal.

3. The gassing device according to claim 1, wherein the feeding area comprises a groove and the gas supply comprises a web arranged in the groove, the groove and the web connected without contact to form the labyrinth seal.

4. The gassing device according to claim 1, wherein the feeding area is arranged at a rotation center of the gassing rotor.

5. The gassing device according to claim 4, wherein a shaft rotatable about an axis is arranged in the rotation center to rotate the gassing rotor and is connected to the gassing rotor in a torque-proof manner.

6. The gassing device according to claim 1, wherein the channel is arranged in an interior of the gassing rotor.

7. The gassing device according to claim 1, wherein the feed opening is one of a plurality of feed openings and the container receptacle is one of a plurality of container receptacles such that the gassing nozzle is one of a plurality of gassing nozzles, and the gassing nozzles are flow-connected to the feeding area via a respective feed opening.

8. The gassing device according to claim 7, wherein the gas supply comprises a nozzle ring with a ring opening, the ring opening arranged on the supply opening such that the feeding area is capable of being selectively flow-connected to at least one feed opening of the feed openings via the ring opening by moving the at least one feed opening to the ring opening by rotating the gassing rotor in the operating state, whereby the feed opening is flow-connected to the ring opening.

9. The gassing device according to claim 1, wherein the gassing rotor is a round plate.

10. The gassing device according to claim 1, further comprising a container supply configured to supply the container to the container receptacle and a container discharge configured to discharge a gassed container with a lid from the container receptacle.

11. The gassing device according to claim 1, further comprising a cleaning system arranged on the labyrinth seal to clean the labyrinth seal such that a cleaning fluid is capable of being supplied to the labyrinth seal in the operating state.

12. The gassing device according to claim 11, wherein the cleaning system comprises a first cleaning channel arranged on the labyrinth seal so that the cleaning fluid is capable of being supplied to the labyrinth seal in the operating state.

13. The gassing device according to claim 12, wherein the cleaning system comprises a second cleaning channel arranged at the feed opening such that the cleaning fluid is capable of being supplied to the feed opening in the operating state.

14. A sealer for a container, comprising: a lid supply device configured to supply a lid to the container; a gassing device according to claim 1 configured to supply gas to the container; and a sealing device configured to seal sealing the container with the lid.

15. A method for gassing a container, comprising: providing the gassing device according to claim 1; receiving the container by the container receptacle; moving the feed opening to the supply opening by rotating the gassing rotor; feeding the gas from the gas supply into the gassing rotor; and gassing the container from the gassing nozzle of the gassing rotor.

16. The sealer for a container, wherein the sealer is a can sealer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The invention will be explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings.

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates a plan view of a sealer according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of a can sealer; and

[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of a seaming shaft device according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a sealer arrangement 1000 according to the disclosure.

[0036] The sealer arrangement 1000 for sealing a container 100 comprises a lid feeding device 11 for feeding a lid 101 to the container 100, a gassing rotor 15 for supplying gas to the container 100 and a sealer 14 for sealing the container 100 with the lid 101.

[0037] In the represented embodiment, the sealer 14 is preferably designed as a can sealer 14. Here, the container 100 is a can 100 which is seamed in the can sealer 14.

[0038] In the operating state, the lid 101 is introduced along the arrow C by the lid feeding device 11 into the sealer arrangement 1000. In doing so, the lids 101 are arranged on the gassing rotor. The lids 101 are transported further by rotating the gassing rotor 15. Then, the containers 100 are introduced by the container feeder 12 into the container receptacles 17 of the gassing rotor 15. There, the container 100 is gassed in area D with a gas such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen and is combined with the lid 101.

[0039] The gassing is carried out along arrow B with the gas supply 16. After gassing, the container 100 with the lid 101 is passed by the container discharge 13 from the gassing rotor 15 to the sealer 14 where it is sealed.

[0040] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a can sealer 14 according to an embodiment of the invention with a can 100 to be sealed and a can lid 101.

[0041] According to FIG. 2, the can sealer 14 comprises a clamping device comprising a can support 22 and a seaming head 2, and a seaming roller 10 with a seaming roller profile 111 rotatably mounted about the seaming shaft 3′. The can lid 101 is arranged centered over the opening of the can 100. The can 100 has a circumferential can flange in the area of the can opening and the can lid 101 has a circumferential can lid flange.

[0042] During the sealing process, the seaming roller 10 is brought into contact with the can flange and the can lid flange via the seaming roller profile 111. Here, the can flange and the can lid flange are pressed together via the seaming roller 10 by means of a force acting substantially radially. The pressing is effected by a continuous roiling of the seaming roller 10 in the circumferential direction along the circumference of the can opening, A double seam is preferably created by seaming the can 100 with the can lid 101.

[0043] For seaming, the can 100 is rotated by the clamping device by rotating the seaming head 2 around the seaming axis X with the seaming shaft 3.

[0044] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a seaming shaft device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0045] The seaming shaft device 1 comprises the seaming shaft 3, which can be rotated around the seaming axis X, The seaming head 2 is detachably arranged as a seaming means or device at one end of the seaming shaft 3 and fastened to the seaming shaft 3 with a fastening mechanism for fastening the seaming head 2.

[0046] The fastening mechanism comprises a locking element 4 (lock) and a fastening element (fastener) 5, which is arranged between the locking element 4 and the seaming head 2.

[0047] The locking element 4 and the seaming head 2 can be moved relative to each other along the seaming axis X in such a way that the seaming head 2 can be brought from a locked state to an unlocked state, and the fastening element 5 in the locked state is clamped between the seaming head 2 and the locking element 4 in such a way that the seaming head 2 is axially fixed to the seaming shaft 3. The fastening element 5 can be unclamped by bringing the seaming head 2 from the locked state to the unlocked state so that the seaming head 2 can be detached from the end of the seaming shaft 3. In addition, the seaming head can be secured in a torque-proof manner on the seaming shaft by a pin arranged between the seaming head and the seaming shaft (not shown here).

[0048] The locking element 4 is designed as a cone 41, so that a distance between the cone 41 and the seaming head 2 can be increased by the movement from the locking state to the unlocked state in such a way that the fastening element 5 can be unclamped.

[0049] The cone 41 comprises a straight circular truncated cone (section), which is arranged with its cone axis along the seaming axis X. The cone axis is the axis which runs through the centers of the circular surfaces of the truncated cone. The truncated cone thus has a first circular surface and a second circular surface. A first radius of the first circular surface is smaller than a second radius of the second circular surffice.

[0050] When bringing from the locked state to the unlocked state, the cone 41 is moved along the seaming axis X in the direction of the arrow Z and the truncated cone with the first radius is brought to an axial height (point along the seaming axis X) with the fastening element 5. In doing so, a distance between the cone 41 and the seaming head 2 is increased in such a way that the fastening element 5 is unclamped.

[0051] The seaming shaft device 1 according to FIG. 3 is in the locking position. Here, the fastening element 5 is a sphere 51 and partly arranged in a circumferential groove 6 of the seaming head. Preferably, the fastening mechanism comprises a plurality of spheres 51.

[0052] The seaming shaft device 1 further comprises a spring mechanism 8 with a compression spring. The spring mechanism 8 is arranged on the cone 41 in such a way that it can displace the cone 41 by an expansion of the compression spring in the direction of the arrow Z. In doing so, the seaming head 2 is brought from the locking state to the unlocking state. For this purpose, the spring mechanism 8 can be triggered by means of a button.

[0053] Furthermore, the seaming shaft device 1 according to FIG. 3 comprises an ejection element 9 arranged in the seaming shaft 3. The ejection element 9 extends to the seaming head 2, where it ends with an ejector pad 91. The ejection element 9 is arranged movably along the seaming axis X, so that a container can be ejected by moving in the direction of the arrow Z in the operating state.

[0054] In addition, the seaming shaft device 1 comprises a sleeve 7 arranged between the cone 41 and the seaming head 2, the sleeve 7 comprising a recess 71 in which the sphere 51 is arranged in the locking state shown. If the cone 41 is moved along the seaming axis X in the direction of the arrow Z, the sphere 51 is unclamped as described above and can escape from the groove 6 of the seaming head 2 and the recess 71, whereby the seaming head 2 is brought to the unlocking state and can be detached from the end of the seaming shaft 3. Subsequently, a new/different seaming head can be attached.